Enjoyable Company (One-Shot)
by Kihte
Summary: Former Saika Renegade, Mitsuru shares a deep conversation with her long-time friend Hideyoshi. Hideyoshi/OC


Yay another story before finishing my other 3 :D But this one is a one-shot .w.b. This seems like it got a bit choppy at points, so I apologize, but one-shots are hard! I might look into doing more of them just to practice cause I tend to blabber... a lot. Anyway, I know a few things might be questioned here, but I spent quite a bit of time thinking on it, so feel free to shoot me a review.

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The two stood at a standstill, silent and eyes locked. Friends put at odds in the midst of war and now sat in a deadlock- Magoichi's rifle was cocked, pointed at Hideyoshi's skull while Hideyoshi pressed his sansetsukon to the mercenary's chin. The silence was deafening, only the creaking of the bridge, rushing of water and swaying trees filled the air. The stillness was only broken when the Daimyo uttered a single word.

"Die," A few moments passed before Magoichi burst out into an uncontrollable laughter, Hideyoshi following soon after. The two friends clutched at their stomachs, lightly throwing playful punches at each other, swaying and losing their balance at their intense laughing fit.

"Ah, that was great!" Magoichi exclaimed, breathless. "Halarious, Hideyoshi- 'Die!'" He mocked, taking the warlord into a headlock and roughhousing him to the wooden planks below them. Hideyoshi lightly swatted at his friend to get him away so he could catch his own breath. "You kill me!" Finally able to regain some composure, Hideyoshi began kicking at the Saika renegade.

"What was with your; 'You'll pay for what you did!'?" He mocked right back, "I could hardly keep from laughing." At the cheesy line, both men began their giggles again before they were interrupted by a harsh throat clearing.

"Are you children quite done?" A silky voice chimed. Both warriors looked over to Magoichi's disciple who stood just a few feet out of their way with her arms crossed. Though she sounded irritated, her smile said otherwise, and she was obviously amused by the two's shenanigans.

"Ah c'mon, Mitsuru," Magoichi whined, standing and helping his friend up as well, "No need to be such a prude." Waving the man's insult off, Mitsuru approached the duo.

"I'm sure Lord Hideyoshi didn't call you here to roughhouse. Don't we have business to discuss?" Eyeing the warlord, Hideyoshi embarrassedly scratched the back of his neck and nodded. "Well then let's get to it. The unification of Japan won't wait." Finding merit in her words, the two men turned to enter the castle, but not without giving each other one last punch to the shoulder. Rolling her eyes, Mitsuru smiled and followed them. It was good even some friendships could overcome odds in the midst of chaos.

#

Years passed and Magoichi and Mitsuru left the newly formed Saika Renagades to serve under the Toyotomi banner. Many battles were won and Hideyoshi was just around the corner from completely unifying Japan. Their most recent victory was against Nobukatsu and Ieyasu in the battle of Komaki and Nagakute, forcing Ieyasu to surrender and join the Toyotomi. The only force left that opposed Hideyoshi was the Hojo, so the Toyotomi spent the night celebrating their victories. Despite Mitsunari booing the idea and insisting the Lord should be more wary of the Hojo forces, many of Hieyoshi's retainers stayed to commemorate their triumphs. Odawara castle was full of merriment and good spirit and it was a nice change for everyone, almost as if there was no such thing as war outside the castle walls. Eventually, Hideyoshi abruptly stood from his zabuton and raised a sake-filled glass with a clear of his throat. Catching the attention of most of the room, Hideyoshi greeted everyone and began a slightly slurred speech.

"Thank you everyone!" Hideyoshi began loudly. "We wouldn't be where we are now if not for your hard work, loyalty, and faith!" Many drunken warriors cheered, raising their glasses as their Lord continued his speech. "We have overcome many obstacles, many hardships. Many deaths and losses…" He admitted, trailing off as the room hushed down in a moment of silence for their fallen comrades and loved ones. Mitsuru looked up to her Lord next to her and frowned at his gaze that seemed miles away. Shaking his head of whatever thoughts bounced around in his drunken brain, he continued. "However, they fought and died for something they believed in! A dream for a peaceful, unified Japan! A land without war! Without grief and sadness! A land where everyone can be happy! The only obstacle that stands between us and that dream is the Hojo!" The room erupted in noise, many cheering, some booing the Hojo, and others giving off war cries. Instead of waiting for the commotion to die down, Hideyoshi slammed his foot down on his dining table, making several plates and goblets of wine clatter to the floor. His voice only rose louder. "Today we celebrate our victories, our endurance, and soon we celebrate the unification of all Japan!" The warlord was greeted with cheers all around as the room of soldiers went ballistic. Pleased with the reaction, Hideyoshi sat back down on his zabuton and took a sip from his chalice.

"Bold speech, My Lord," Mitsuru said, lightly elbowing him in the shoulder. "Perhaps could have gone without making such a mess though." Hideyoshi looked around the table with spilt food and drinks- though no one really seemed to notice or care- and sheepishly laughed.

"I guess I got a little carried away." He admitted. Mitsuru plopped the rest of her red bean mochi in her mouth and shamelessly spoke through it.

"Or you're a little too drunk." The daimyo leaned in a little closer to his good friend and poked her cheek.

"You're one to talk, you've been slurring your words for the past hour." The woman harshly swallowed her food and almost choked doing so. Grinning wildly, she poked back at his face.

"At least I don't look like the inside of a strawberry daifuku! You're getting pretty red over there." If Hideyoshi could get any redder he no doubt would have, but the flush on his cheeks from the alcohol was already at its peak. Regaining his composure, he pressed his hands to her cheeks and squished them together lightly.

"I wouldn't say that, you're just a red as I am!" Swatting his hands away, Mitsuru held back a laugh.

"Okay, okay, maybe I am I bit flushed! But I still have my head! I'm surprised Magoichi isn't joining in on this, where is he?" Looking around for the ex-mercenary, the two found him whispering something into a woman's ear in the corner of the room. She visibly blushed before they turned and headed out of the party. Rolling her eyes Mitsuru sighed. "Why am I not surprised?" She murmured. "Do you think that man will ever settle down?" Hideyoshi chuckled.

"If he can find a woman who can tame him." Mitsuru gave a wicked grin back at the Lord.

"Tame him? More like put up with his shit. I'm not sure any woman would be able to tame that womanizer." Most would flinch at the woman's crude language, but Hideyoshi had become used to it. With a laugh, Hideyoshi looked back over to where Magoichi left.

"You'd be surprised at what a good woman can do to a man." Mitsuru eyed him with suspicion and carefully spoke her next sentence.

"You sound like you speak from experience." Hideyoshi stayed silent for a moment, obviously lost in thought before he mumbled back.

"Perhaps," Noticing the shift in mood, Mitsuru left the conversation at that and enjoyed the rest of her drink in silence.

#

An indistinguishable amount of time passed and Hideyoshi and Mitsuru had been reengaged in idle conversation, though most of it was heavily slurred. A large yawn left Mitsuru's mouth and Hideyoshi smiled warmly. Looking around the main hall, the warlord noticed most of his guests had left and only his maids and a few passed out soldiers were left.

"My apologies for keeping you so late, Mitsuru." The woman waved his apology off and smiled back.

"Don't be, you're enjoyable enough company," She joked, "Besides it also saved me from going back to the house to catch Magoichi in the act… wouldn't have been the first time, but every time it's awkward." Both of them laughed at the thought, but Hideyoshi curiously looked at her.

"Do you ever get jealous?" He asked making Mitsuru look at him incredulously.

"Jealous? Heavens no," She chortled, moving to take a sip of sake only to find her cup empty. Figuring she had enough, she set the chalice back down on the table. "I care deeply for Magoichi, but more like a sister would a brother and I figure he feels the same." Going silent, Mitsuru thought for a moment. "In fact, I'm not sure I've ever really felt that way for a man." At her confession, Hideyoshi's chest clenched.

"Never? You're sure about that?" Pursing her lips, Mitsuru looked thoughtfully into her cup.

"No," She admitted, "I might have, but I'm not quite sure, to be honest." With a course and fake laugh, Mitsuru frowned. "I've had infatuations, sure, but men don't like women like me, so it doesn't really matter all that much." Hideyoshi was taken back by her self-deprecation and placed his hands on her broad shoulders.

"Now what makes you say that? Any man would be lucky to have you!" Hideyoshi eyed Mitsuru up and down trying to figure out what would encourage her to say such a thing. Beautiful raven hair that fell just past her shoulders but was often kept up in a tight ponytail during battle; deep brown eyes that always held a playful fire; a thin face with features as sharp as her tongue; not a flaw in sight- at least from what he could see. Feeling his penetrating gaze, Mitsuru blushed heavily and brushed him away.

"Not my looks, Hideyoshi, my personality." Utterly confused, Hideyoshi waited for her to elaborate. With a sigh, she did. "Men don't want a brutish woman like me, they want a submissive, feminine woman…"

"You're looking for the wrong men, then." Hideyoshi interrupted immediately. Stunned into silence, the warlord kept her gaze. "I stand by what I said." With a grateful smile, Mitsuru placed a calloused hand on his.

"Thank you, Hideyoshi." Suddenly feeling embarrassed from the conversation, Mitsuru quickly moved her hand from his and stirred to stand. "I should probably head out now," She blurted struggling to get on her feet. As soon as her legs had to hold her weight, she immediately fell on her butt with a grunt of pain.

"Woah there, are you alright?" Hideyoshi exclaimed, quickly seeing if she was okay. He struggled to stand himself but proved to be much better than his friend at it. Stabling himself as best he could, he helped Mitsuru to her feet and kept her firm. "Perhaps we should sober you up a bit before you try walking home." Mitsuru let out a grunt of acknowledgement as Hideyoshi kept her balanced. It was odd how she wasn't particularly cold all night but realized how much warmer she felt under Hideyoshi's arm.

#

The duo sat in his quarters out on the balcony, a cold bowl of water and washcloths next to them. Hideyoshi found that time was the best way to sober up, but the cold water helped in keeping one awake and preventing a massive hangover in the morning. The air between the two had been a bit tense since they left the main hall. Hideyoshi made short glances towards Mitsuru, but she kept her gaze focused on the night sky. Letting out a silent sigh, Hideyoshi followed suit and looked up.

"Hideyoshi," Mitsuru suddenly blurted. Looking over at the woman with a 'hm' Hideyoshi noticed she hadn't moved her gaze. "Earlier, when you spoke about what a woman could do to a man…" She trailed off, but he knew where the conversation was going. Looking back up at the stars, Hideyoshi smiled bitterly.

"I figured you were going to ask," He admitted, finally getting her to look at him, though this time he kept his gaze away. "I had a wife once- beautiful she was…" Hideyoshi began, trailing off as if remembering her face perfectly. "Her name was Nene and she loved me like I thought no woman ever could." Hearing him swallow a lump in his throat, Mitsuru frowned deeply. "She was perfect- caring, strong, smart… she had such a kind heart." Looking at him, he remained still, eyes fixed onto the sky. "She was my biggest supporter, my pillar… my everything." By now his voice seemed to crack and Mitsuru opened her mouth to stop him, but he continued anyway. "She died protecting me, protecting my dream…" A long pause later, Hideyoshi choked out his next words. "I feel like I've failed her. I couldn't protect her. It was my job as her husband, to protect my wife." A few stray tears ran down Hideyoshi's cheeks and Mitsuru moved the water bowl out of the way before scooting next to him and placing a hand on his clenched fist.

"Hideyoshi, I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean…" Taking a deep breath to compose himself, he shook his head to silence her and looked over with a sad smile.

"Don't be, it was a long time ago. She would want to be remembered anyway, she was a bit eccentric." The man joked, though Mitsuru's eyes stayed glossed over as if she were about to cry. Going silent, Hideyoshi stared intently at her for a long moment. "You're a lot like her," He mumbled making Mitsuru blink and jump back a bit. Moving his hand from underneath hers, he interlaced their fingers and pulled her close to him. With his other hand, he cupped her cheek, leaned down and guided her lips to his. Mitsuru's body flared up and a fire burned in her stomach when his lips touched hers. Though she quickly pulled away when Hideyoshi's words repeated in her mind.

"I'm not her." As she said it, she looked away from him; the words hurt her more than she had expected. She'd been infatuated with her friend for quite some time she realized, but if he only wanted her because she reminded him of his late wife, she wanted no part in it. Realizing she misunderstood his intentions, Hideyoshi gripped her chin gently to make her look back at him.

"Of course not, that's not what I meant." Face still in his grasp, she forced her eyes to shift away from him. "You remind me a lot of her, but that isn't why I'm taken with you." At the confession, Mitsuru's flushed face heated more, suddenly feeling a bit overwhelmed. "Look at me," He commanded, his voice soft, but serious. After a bit of hesitation, she forced her gaze to him. She could barely hold the contact without wanting to run- his stare was intense, powerful and she realized his commanding presence and confidence was what made him such a great warlord. "You're witty, steadfast, and forthright," Hearing the compliments made Mitsuru shift uncomfortably, but he continued, giving her chin a gentle squeeze when her eyes started to drift. "You're vulgar and confident- brazen, if not a bit bashful sometimes," Mitsuru wasn't quite sure how those were really compliments, but he smiled and laughed slightly, insinuating they weren't. "Things she wasn't, but all things that I adore about you." Mitsuru wasn't sure how to react and she shifted awkwardly feeling like she needed to breath but couldn't. No man had shown an interest in her, yet alone told her so sincerely. Tearing her face from his grasp, she quickly stood up and paced the balcony with shallow breaths. Hideyoshi watched her quietly as she stopped in front of the wooden railing and stared out.

"You sure do know how to make a woman blush," Mitsuru mumbled jokingly, not quite sure what to say. Hideyoshi stood and walked over, wanting to wrap his arms around her, but refrained to give her space.

"I believe it's just you," He replied with a smile, "Most reactions I get from women is them shouting 'monkey' at me." Very quietly she mumbled something under her breath akin to 'you're a damn attractive monkey'. Noticing her visibly calm down a bit, he moved closer to place his hands on her hips and rest his head on hers, still smelling the faintest hints of sake from earlier. "So, what's stopping you then?" He slurred, causing her to swiftly turn around and push him away, making him stumble a bit.

"Damnit, Hideyoshi!" She cursed, "You know what! Is now really the time? With the battle against the Hojo just around the corner, do any of us need this distraction? You're 'this close' to unifying Japan!" She blurted, holding her fingers only mere millimeters apart for emphasis. "If this happens, it won't be a one-night thing!" Bullshit- that was, all her excuses. She didn't know what was stopping her, she knew what she wanted. However, Hideyoshi called her bluff and as calmly as he could, replied.

"Then isn't now the perfect time?" Mitsuru went silent, not quite understanding. "Once I unify Japan, I'll need someone to keep me in line- help me rule." Shocked at his implication, the woman placed her hands on the railing behind her to keep her steady. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she gave a nervous smile and settled for jokes.

"Ha, me, a noble? You're hilarious, Hideyoshi." Not quite amused by her witty comment, Hideyoshi took a step closer.

"Think of it as just being my wife, then." Nearly toe to toe, Mitsuru had no choice but to shift her eyes to his chin just to avoid eye-contact since they were very close to the same height. "But no need to answer straight away, I'm a patient man." She could smell the sake on his breath and she almost forgot the duo was quite inebriated. She was never drinking with Hideyoshi again, that was for sure. Too many thoughts rampaged through her head and it felt like Hideyoshi was waiting for a reply forever. What was she afraid of? Clenching her fists, the fear overtook her- fear that he would change his mind, fear that she would mess their friendship up, fear that he would find someone better, fear of what would happen if the Hojo won… Seeing her conflict, Hideyoshi disappointingly moved to step back, but she reached out to grab his hand. Instantly she smashed her lips to his and his free hand moved up to her face to bring her closer. Releasing her grip on his hand, her fingers moved to clutch the front of his coat tightly to pull him flush against her. Gently brushing his hand from her cheek down her face, Hideyoshi gripped her chin and nibbled lightly on her bottom lip. Hesitantly parting her lips, the Lord took the kiss further, claiming and dominating her mouth. Feeling her face heat up tremendously, he pulled away and nearly laughed at her flushed features. "Who looks like the inside of a strawberry daifuku now?" Frowning deeply, Mitsuru shoved her friend away from her and stormed towards the shoji screen. Hideyoshi laughed loudly as he rushed to stop her by pulling the woman into his strong arms.

"Let go of me you damned monkey!" She blurted, trying to keep from laughing as he buried his face in her hair and neck.

"Not a chance," He replied, pulling her back with him onto his futon. Once he trusted her not to leave, he released his grip on her and she rolled over to face him. Tucking her hair behind her ear, Hideyoshi rested his forehead on hers. "Why don't you stay here the rest of the night?" Mitsuru embarrassedly nibbled her lip. "You said I'm 'enjoyable enough' company. I'm sure Magoichi wouldn't miss you too much." Seeing the pleading glint in his eyes, Mitsuru smiled coyly.

"I suppose you're right," She murmured, leaning closer so the tips of their noses barely touched. "I retract my statement though, you're very enjoyable company." A cheeky grin crossed Hideyoshi's face before he lightly pecked her on the lips.


End file.
